"Look who's over there?"
The little girl, who had been eating like a hamster, heard her "mother's" voice and immediately looked where Kurumi pointed.
"It's Auntie Asagi!"
"No, no, she's your mother~"
"Mm~" The little girl pursed her lips, a mist of tears gathering in her big eyes. "Does Mommy not want me anymore? I've been good, I... mm~"
Kurumi gently wiped away the little girl's tears. Smiling softly, she said, "No~ This is a game. Mommy and Auntie Asagi are friends. If you suddenly appear and call her Mommy, do you think she'll get a huge scare?"
The little girl hesitated in her seat. Kurumi added more fuel to the fire. "If you call Asagi Mommy all day today, I'll bring you here for a children's meal every day from now on."
"Really?" Star-shaped light lit up in the little girl's eyes. She looked like a pirate who had discovered hidden treasure!
"Mm-hm, but for today, you can only have one 'Mommy,' so you have to call me Auntie~ Understand?"
"Mm-hm!" The little girl nodded vigorously and looked at Aoba Asagi, who had just pushed open the door. An astonishing gleam burst from her large eyes.
Clenching her little fists before her chest, the little girl seemed to gather up all her courage. She nodded at Kurumi, hopped down from her chair, and "snuck" toward the dejected Aoba Asagi.
Kurumi rested her elbow on the table and propped her cheek up with one hand. The smile narrowed her wine-red eyes, and the meaning hidden within them was like red wine aged for years in a cellar.
The little girl made full use of her short stature. Even when she encountered waiters along the way, she greeted them politely. Whether staff or customers, everyone took a liking to the adorable